French bulldog Lentil helps kids with facial deformities

Meet Lentil, a 5-month-old French bulldog who was born with a severe, double sided cleft in his hard and soft palate, lip and nose.

Lentil now works as an "ambassadog," helping adults and children with cranial and facial deformities.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay K. Condefer

Lentil was born with the congenital defect. His breeder decided to give him away, and he was soon fostered by Lindsay Condefer, a former technician at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine who volunteers with the French Bulldog Rescue Network of Philadelphia.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay K. Condefer

Cleft palates and lips happen to dogs, just like humans.

"Many people assume this is a breed issue. While it is true we see broad-faced and short-faced dogs, they can occur in any breed. It's not necessarily a genetic issue," Dr. Alexander Reiter, the chief of the dentistry and oral surgery service at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, told CBSNews.com.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay K Condefer

Dogs typically present with a unilateral cleft on the left side of the snout. What made Lentil's case different is he had a cleft on both sides of his face and it extended through the hard and soft palate.

Lentil helps children with facial defects feel better about themselves.

Because his hard palate was open, Lentil's nasal passageways were susceptible to infection. Food and liquid could easily go down the his windpipe and not his esophagus, which could cause him to choke to death.

Dr. Alexander Reiter was the lead surgeon on the case. He determined that while the hard palate issues were necessary to fix, the soft palate and facial issues were just cosmetic and should be left alone.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay K Condefer

"In a human, if a child has a cleft lip, this is something that stands out," Dr. Alexander Reiter said. "You want to give that child the best chance that it can have to be accepted into a society and not suffer from psychological problems. Dogs and cats do not know what they look like. They don't have a perception of themselves."

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay K Condefer

Dr. John Lewis, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine who assisted with Lentil's surgery, had just come back from giving a talk at the Center for Human Appearance at the University of Pennsylvania, and realized that Lentil could become a valuable teaching tool in helping patients, especially children, deal with facial defects.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay K Condefer

The team decided to create a program that would connect canines and people with cranial and facial deformities.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay K Condefer

"We do have a number of dogs that have cranial/facial abnormalities that could be part of this program, but the fact that he [Lentil] has a congenital defect, the children patients relate to him in a different way," Dr. John Lewis explained.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay K Condefer

Lentil prepares for his hard palate surgery.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay K Condefer

Lentil during his hard palate surgery.

Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay K Condefer

Lentil works with organizations like the Children's Craniofacial Association (CAA) to show people that looking a little different is okay.